A Rare Understanding
by Katharin the Dragon
Summary: Hermione is awakened in the middle of the night by an extremely unwelcome intrusion. Her life is in danger. But who is this Draco Malfoy, and will he have the courage to follow the path of his father? *complete* Reformatted for readability.
1. Part 1

**A Rare Understanding**

  
  


_Good people, and I mean really _good_ people, like headmaster Dumbledore, are prone to saying that being good is a black and white sort of thing that anyone can be fully aware of. I'm not going to say that I completely disagree - I'm going to have to think about that some more before I take an official stance. All I'm going to say is that things that _others_ would find obviously bad I don't see as quite so bad - others like that blighter Potter, I mean. Well, that didn't make any sense. All I'm trying to say is that if Potter were here right now, he'd say that I am doing a bloody awful thing, and maybe I am... but it just doesn't feel like I am._

_Am I making any bloody sense at all?_

_She is actually beautiful. I have become increasingly aware of this of late. It's not there when you're not looking for it. She has this internal sparkle that you really have to dig for - a diamond buried in her rough personality. _

_And why am I here? Really, because it's what my father wants. I'll bet Mr. Potter was never put in a position where he could either disobey his parents (or the headmaster, or his muggle family, or whatever) or, well, kill someone. It's whole new twist on that old phrase, 'lesser of two evils'. And, while to my dear Mr. Potter's comprehension, disobeying one's parents may seem to be the lesser, Mr. Potter would have no idea of the consequences for disobedience in my father's world._

_Merlin, I am such an insecure bloody child, vaccilating between what my father's going to do to me, and what Harry Potter the Great would think of me. Bloody hell._

_Doesn't wear much to bed, does she? She seems to be wearing a white shift of some sort. She's pushed off her comforter, and the shift doesn't hide much in the way of details. She has a pretty little face, and sleep wipes away the intensity that clouds her features by day. I study her face briefly, but my eyes are drawn magnetically to the peaks of her chest._

_Her eyes flutter open . I can see a brief recognition dawning in her eyes after just a sleepy second or two. The intensity flickers back on like a light. "What in the worl-"_

_I panic and run. I scramble into their filthy common room and duck behind a wing-back chair like a child playing hide and seek. I crouch there, trying to catch my breath. _

_Minutes pass that seem like hours. She pads softly down the stairs into the common room, looking nervously around. "Is-is there anyone there?"_

_I pull out my wand and point it at her slender form. Something primal wells up within me - something that reminds me all too much of my father. My wand arm falls to my side, and I creep out behind her. As I suspected, she is lugging around a well-worn copy of of 'Hogwarts, a History' - her bludgeoning weapon of choice. Even pursued, she's afraid to use magic between classes. I swiftly wrap my wand arm around her middle section, and wrench the book from her grasp with my other hand. "Don't move," I hiss._

_"Draco Malfoy! What's going on? Why-"_

_"Shut up, mudblood,"I spit. "Your life depends on it!"_

_"Are you threatening me?" she asks, voice trembling, but loud with a false bravado._

_I admire her spunk, but this is my moment. "I-" why can't I make the bold words come? "Of course not, Granger," I mumble reluctantly. "Actually, I'm bloody saving your life, so please, please just shut up."_

_"Draco, I will scream, and Ron and Harry will hear me, and-"_

_Thud._

_Stupid mudblood. I had to knock her out - she practically bloody forced me to- with that bloody book she relies so heavily on. Ironic. I hold her up for a second, then she slumps to the floor. _

_So far, I'm not feeling any guilt, but what am I supposed to do now? I'm not sure I can stick my father's knife in between her pretty mudblood breasts like he wanted me to. I- just can't. In some weird way, I think she of all people would understand what I'm going through._

_Maybe I'm more like those other guys than I thought._

_Plus, she really is too pretty to stain with blood or sully with bruises._

_I lean over, pick up her senseless form, and carry her away._


	2. Part 2

**A Rare Understanding**

  
  


"Have you checked her bed?" 

"Of course." 

"Have you checked the library?" 

"Twice." 

"The common room? The great hall? Arithmancy classroom?" 

"Yes, yes, yes. What do you take me for?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "The hospital ward is the last place I can think of. Will you please walk me there? Please?" 

"I haven't had breakfast yet, Gin. She'll turn up - she always does. Come on." 

Harry came up between them, putting one arm around each of his friends. "Do you two ever stop fighting?" he teased. 

Ginny stuck her lower lip out noticeably. "Hermione's gone missing, and beastly Ron won't help me find her, Harry," she pouted. 

"Oh, tell him the whole story. She's only been missing the quarter of an hour, and Ginny wants to go search the hospital wing." 

"What's wrong, Gin?" Harry asked sympathetically. "Don't want to go to the hospital wing on your own?" 

Ginny shuddered. "Not with - _him_ - in there." 

Harry nodded seriously. "Don't blame ya, kiddo. Wouldn't want to go there myself. Wanna give it a go together?" 

"Blimey, Harry! Hermione's not in the hospital wing! She probably fell asleep reading in the bath, or got sucked into a book or something." 

Harry shrugged and grinned at his friend. "You never know, mate." He looked happy - way too happy. Ron looked down and... sure enough, Ginny had linked fingers with Harry. 

Ron rolled his eyes in exapseration. "Fine! The hospital wing! Let's go."   
  


* * *

  
  
  


Hermione shook herself awake. She became aware first of the pain in her head and the cold. She was laying on some kind of stone, and there didn't seem to be much light. My eyes are closed, she thought groggily. Got to open them... 

"Welcome back to the land of the living." 

It all came back to her. "Draco," she groaned. "Why... what's going on?" 

It all came out in a rush. "My father is under orders from the Dark Lord to keep an eye on you, and we need to impress him, to sort of, I don't know, get our good name back-" 

"Good name," she scoffed, shaking her head ironically. 

"Laugh all you want, mudblood," he said scornfully. "You-Know-Who wants you dead, but I choose not to kill you. You might keep that in mind." 

"Why not kill me?" 

"I have... other uses for you."He glared at her piercingly. 

Her eyes widened. Draco groaned. 

"God, Granger, don't flatter yourself. I'm not after your body." 

"Then what?" 

"I wanted to talk to you." 

"If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just come to the library, I'm not that hard to find, Draco." 

"You're awfully cocky for someone in your position, mudblood." 

"And what position is that, Malfoy?" 

He threw up his hands in exasperation. "You're at my mercy, Hermione!" 

Hermione laughed hollowly. "In your dreams." 

Malfoy sighed and slunk down onto the floor beside her. "Aren't you scared?" 

"Is that what you're after? Are you trying to scare me?" 

"You're making this really difficult, you know." 

"Making what difficult? What is going on?" 

There was fear in her eyes, he realised at last, she was just masking it really well. Draco felt a small surge of triumph, but tried not to let it show. 

Hermione was studying Draco's features carefully. Her palms were sweating and her throat was constricted. She had a very low opinion of Draco Malfoy - knew his father to be downright evil - but she never thought Draco himself would actually come after her. She had been careful not to give him any excuse to this year. She was trying to gauge his feelings at the moment. He seemed as scared as she was. 

"I-" it suddenly dawned on her. "You know, you don't have to do everything your father says, Draco." 

"Right, Granger, like you know anything about my father." He scowled. "And what does he have to do with this anyway?" 

"You're father told you to take me down to kiss up to Voldemort, right?" 

"Go to hell, Granger." 

"That's what I thought," she said triumphantly.   
  


* * *

  
  
  


The giant who guarded the hospital wing was Hagrid's half-brother on his mother's side. He was a nice sort, really, but he gave Ginny the creeps. His name was Megafoos, and he made Hagrid look like a gentleman. His hair was black and wiry, and stuck out in all the wrong places. He had to duck everywhere except the great hall and the hospital wing, so he preferred to take his meals there. He was finishing off a beef stew, and there were little bits of it in his beard. He meant well. 

He looked up as the trio entered, "Harry, my friend!" he boomed. 

Ginny was shaking. She felt Harry squeeze her hand. "Hullo, Megafoos! Meet my friend, Ginny. And you remember Ron?" 

"I remember the bugger," he said affectionately. "Stepped on his backpack, f'I remembers the lad right, right?" 

Ron grinned and ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. "No harm done, mate." 

"And I think I've seen your girlfriend before, ain't you been around here before, little girl?" 

"Yeah," Ginny replied. "Helping Madame Pomfrey out with some of the wounded." 

"Awr, what a sweetie." 

"Listen, Megafoos, we're looking for another little girl-" 

"Ron's girlfriend," Harry put in. 

Ron elbowed his friend - hard. 

"Right," agreed Ginny. Ron shot her a dark look. 

"The one with the p'inty nose and the bushy hair? Always got her head in a book?" 

"That's her! Is she here?" Ron asked. 

"Er - no. Ain't seen her for a few days. Might want to try the library, though."   
  


* * *

  
  
  


"So where am I?" 

"Somewhere." 

"I still haven't figured out why I'm still here." 

"Yeah, neither have I." 

"I meant besides the obvious fact that you're keeping me here." 

Silence. 

"Penny for your thoughts." 

Hermione glared at him. 

"Oh, come on. If we're going to be stuck here together, we might as well talk-" 

She looked at him in surprise. "We? What do you mean we?"   
  


* * *

  
  
  


"For the fourth time this morning, Hermione Granger is not here. She checked out three books before bed last night, then left as usual. She was headed for her common room. Perhaps your portrait guardian can tell you if she made it in last night." 

"She says yes, but she she doesn't remember Hermione leaving at all. And she's not there," Harry said. 

"And Ron thought maybe Hermione knew a secret passage from her room to the library," Ginny said sarcastically. 

"There are no secret passages to the library," Madame Pince answered stiffly. 

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. 

"Supposing there were," Ron said slowly. "I wonder where they would lead." 

"There are _no_ secret passages in or out of the library," she repeated insistently. 

The three stumbled out of the library. Harry thwacked Ron on the ear. "Good job being subtle there about the secret passages. She's not going to tell us where they are, mate. If the map doesn't even know, I'm sure she doesn't." 

Ron mumbled something. 

"Cheer up, Ron," Ginny said. 

"It's not like Hermione to be missing," Ron said. 

"She'll turn up," Harry said confidently. 

"She will," agreed Ginny. 

A dark shadow loomed before them. 

"I suppose now that you're in your sixth year, you no longer need to attend class, is that it, Mr. Potter? And Mr. Weasley, your superior intellect has superceded any need to study potions, I'm sure. Or perhaps Miss Granger has simply provided you with the answers to all my questions for the next two years, is that it?" 

"And Miss Weasley... I'm surprised at you." 

"Professor Snape," Ginny pleaded softly. "Hermione-" 

"No need to defend Miss Granger. I know very well that she passes answer to your brother on a regular basis. I-" 

"No, sir," she insisted with a surprising amount of tenacity. "She's gone missing." 

Something flickered in Snape's eyes. "Oh." He took a deep breath. "Well, there's no excuse for taking the search into your own hands." He hesitated. "How long has she been missing?" he asked casually. 

"Since last night," Ginny answered. 

Snape nodded. "Now get to class, all of you, before I decide to-" 

They were gone before he could pronounce a sentence. 


	3. Part 3

**A Rare Understanding**

  
  


"What do you mean we?" 

"Nothing. I didn't say we. I said you," Draco protested. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Right, Malfoy. I'm sure what you said was, 'as long as _you're_ stuck here together, _you_might as well talk'. You said WE. Unless we're going to be experimenting with some new SuperStick charms-" 

"Oh, shut up, Granger, I'm sick of your voice already." 

"Aha," Hermione said. "Then leave." 

"No..." 

"Why not? If you're sick of me, then just leave." 

"I - no. I don't trust you." 

There was a thick wooden door set into the stone wall to the right of Hermione. It suddenly swung open and Lucius Malfoy stepped in. _Now we shall have some answers_, Hermione thought. 

"Draco," Lucius greeted his son casually. "Miss Granger, I see you're still here." 

"Can I go?" she asked hopefully. 

"Ah... that's sort of up to Draco, at this point, I'm afraid, my dear. When he decides to, er, release you, you'll be free." 

Hermione frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. 

"Where am I?" she asked. 

"In my...lair, so to speak." 

"Cozy," she commented sarcasticly. 

Lucius looked down his nose at her. "Notice, Draco, the total lack of sophistication or respect. This is common among those muggle-born. Notice the unkempt hair, the lack of attention to personal attire-" 

"These are my pajamas!" 

"And the lack of deference to her elders. Also common among the common. You can see, my son, how she and her kind are completely inferior to those born to proper wizard families, can you not?" 

"Yes, father." 

Hermione's stomach roiled.   
  


* * *

  
  
  


"Albus." 

He looked up and smiled mildly. "Severus, what a pleasant surprise." 

"There's another student gone missing, Albus." 

Dumbledore's face darkened visibly. "Who?" 

"Hermione Granger." 

"Ah..." 

"She's muggle born, Albus, you think-?" 

"I do." 

"You think Voldemort is behind it?" 

"Lucius Malfoy at the very least." 

"Ah.. some sort of initiation, perhaps?" 

"Draco is of age now. It seems only logical."   
  


* * *

  
  
  


"You're more of a coward than I thought, Draco," Hermione fumed. 

"Leave me alone, Granger." 

"Daddy will let you out of the dungeon as soon as you kill me, Draco. Why not just get it over with?" She realized, with frustration, that she was crying. 

"Scared now, aren't you, Granger?" 

"Yeah, I am," she admitted. 

"Me, too." 

The lines of his face were clean and straight. He had compelling eyes, and his silvery blonde hair fell almost romantically across his smooth forehead. She had always thought of him as ugly before, now it occured to her that it was only the malice in his eyes and the disgust in his voice that made her feel so. He was... beautiful. Not a word she would normally have picked to describe a male. He wasn't lying. He was as scared as she was, and that fear was reflected on his face. She saw him as though for the first time. 

"Why are you scared?" 

"I'm either going to kill you or I'm going to die," he said finally. 

It didn't seem to warrant a sarcastic reply. They sat, sort of staring at each other, sort of avoiding each other's gaze for what seemed like forever. There was only one thing between them - a silver dagger with a twisted black handle. 

At last, something happened. A hand reached out and took the dagger from between them. It was Hermione's hand. "I don't think you'll be needing that," she said softly. "I don't think you really think I'm inferior, or any of that rubbish..." 

"You think too much, Granger."   
  


* * *

  
  
  


The day was proceeding as normally as possible, but Ron was distracted and upset. The teacher's weren't mentioning Hermione at all, which had to mean they were very upset about it. After much contemplation, Ron decided to go and talk to Dumbledore himself. 

It was dinnertime. Ron pushed his chair out away from the table and approached the staff table. All of Gryffindor stared after him. 

"Sir?" 

Dumbledore smiled wisely at Ron. "Can I help you, Mr. Weasley?" 

"Hermione's missing, sir," Ron said humbly. 

Dumbledore nodded somberly. "I know." 

"Is someone looking for her?" 

"Yes. Her and someone else, too. Somewhat urgently, I might add." 

"Someone else, sir?" 

A nod, and a soft chuckle. "With all the worrying after your friend, you didn't notice another student missing?" 

"No, sir." 

"Think hard, Ronald Weasley." Their eyes locked in a moment of understanding. "If you can think who else is missing you may be able to find her yourself." 

Ron's eyes lit up suddenly. He turned away quickly, then turned back. "Thank you, sir!" He ran towards the Gryffindor table. 

"Gin, Harry. I know who has Hermione. Meet me at the gates. We have a field trip to take."   
  


* * *

  
  
  


With a flash, the knife was at her throat. "Scream, Granger," he growled. 

She could only whimper. 

"If you want to live, you'll scream," he said threateningly. 

She managed a small, shrill sort of moan. 

He lowered the knife slightly. "Hermione, please. For your own sake. If you want to live. Scream." 

The knife lowered and her senses returned. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

His eyes narrowed also, into thin, steel slits. "Trust me," he mouthed. 

She screamed. 

He pounced, pinned her to the ground. Her heart was pounding. 

"Dad!" he called loudly. 

Lucius was through the door immediately. He must have been standing just outside. He grinned wickedly. "Having a little too much fun, there, Draco. That's not quite what I had in mind." 

Hermione was crying again. 

"I'm ready, dad. I want to do it." 

"Good. Do it." 

"But not here." 

Lucius gave his son a piercing look. 

"I want to take her to the Hole." 

"Okay, we'll-" 

"By myself." 

Lucius stiffened. "Why?" 

"The story you told me- about your first time- I want that... I want to be like you, dad..." 

Hermione shuddered. 

"Show me," Lucius commanded suddenly. 

"What?" For a moment, the confusion returned to Draco's face. 

"Show me how much you want to hurt her..." 

Draco nodded resolutely. He met Hermione's eyes briefly, resolutely. "_Cruciatus_." 

Hermione blacked out.   
  


* * *

  
  
  


"And just how do you think we are going to get into the Slytherin common room, Ronald Weasley?" Ginny demanded. "We don't have the password." 

"Worse, mate,' Harry broke in. "I doubt she's in there at all. If Malfoy's missing, what makes you think she's not out in some secret hideaway? Or at the Malfoy residence?" 

Ron's face fell. "I never thought of that." 

"No trains have left tonight, and the watches have reported nothing unusual. No flying dragons, no misplaced broomsticks. No, if Mr. Malfoy has left the premises, he has left them on foot. He can't be far." 

They looked up in amazement at the unexpected voice of Severus Snape. 

"Sir? Do you know where she is?" Harry asked. 

"No. Nor do I condone a search for her made by several hot-headed and borderline incompetent, though no doubt well-intentioned friends." 

"Then what do you want?" Ron asked rather hot-headedly. 

"To give you this." 

He left them with a small scrap of paper - it curled as though it had been torn from a scroll. 

_My son,  
Meet me at the lair in Hogsmeade. Bring the Mudblood vixen. You know which one. Our Dark Lord wants her dead. I've left you a gift with one of your professor's. He should have passed it along to you by now - my first dagger. If you really want to impress me, she'll be dead by the time you bring her to me. Otherwise, I will help you. Your first time can be very daunting - but also very satisfying.  
Your Father_


	4. Part 4

**A Rare Understanding**

  
  


When Hermione awoke, her head hurt very badly and her arms were stiff. There was a constant hissing sound, like a radio in between stations. She let it buzz in her ear for awhile without protest, but the pain became more and more pronounced and soon her eyes were demaning to be opened. 

She was somewhere lovely. She was laying on a ledge which jutted out into a tiny green valley, surrounded by imposing rocky cliffs. She was right next to a beautiful, rushing waterfall - that accounted for the sound. A memory rushed up through her mind to account for the pain - _cruciatus_ whispered harshly in her ear. She stood up and spun around. Draco was about five feet away, crouching on the very edge of the ledge. His back was to her. 

"What, you still haven't killed me?" she asked dully. 

"I hurt you pretty bad," he said without turning around. 

"Yeah, just enough to make me completely miserable, but not enough to kill me. Thanks," she said sarcastically. "To be honest, this is getting really awful. Are you going to push me off a cliff now?" 

"Hey, Hermione?" 

"What?' 

"Have your parents ever asked you to do something that was wrong? And you knew it, but you couldn't really do anything about it?" 

"No." 

He went on without seeming to hear her. "I thought maybe you would understand. You're such a goody-two-shoes. You always want to please the adults. You live to hear words of praise, am I right?" 

"If you're trying to say that what you're doing is-" 

"So, what if they wanted you to do something you couldn't do?" he interrupted. "And what if it kept getting worse, like an amusement ride that you just couldn't get off of? What if the demands were more and more, and the praises stopped coming? 

"What if... what if finally it was too much and-" 

He turned around. The beautiful white face was marred by seven streaks of red, three on each cheek, one on the clear, smooth forehead. They looked fresh, but dry. "-and you finally said no." 

Hermione strode forward and sank to the ground beside him. She touched his cheek - as she had suspected, the scratches were a few hours old. 

"I can heal those," she said quickly, he compassion overcoming her anger. "Where's my wand?" 

"Don't," he said softly. "I think I want to keep them. If Potter got so much luck from one magical scar, maybe a few ordinary scratches will do something for me." 

"What happened?" 

"After I... hurt you, father and I carried you here together. Father has a portkey that brings him here. It's his favorite spot. It's where he was... initiated into the Deatheaters. He killed a muggle - an old man. Opened his sto-" 

"Please don't tell me," Hermione interrupted softly. 

"Fine. I've had to hear the story twenty times, but I'll spare your virgin ears," he said resentfully. "Anyway, it's a favorite spot of father's. He brought me here to kill you. I asked him to leave, but he didn't want to. 

"He said I had to prove myself this time - had to do it his way. He didn't want me to just push you over the edge while you slept like a coward. I'll spare you this one more time, and not tell you what he wanted me to do to you." 

"Thanks." 

"I refused. Just flat out, this time. Said I didn't want to kill you, or anybody, or... even be a deatheater. I don't know why. I was always going to. I never cared before, but..." 

"But?" 

"But when I saw you sleeping last night, I," he paused and swallowed. "I sort of fell for you. That's never happened to me before, not about anybody. I wanted you, and I didn't want you to die without telling you, without touching you... I sort of wanted you to want me to, because..." he sighed. 

"...because you knew I would understand," she finished softly. 

He nodded. She reached up to touch his face again. She ran her fingers over the flesh between the scars. He shivered visibly, then leaned in and kissed her gently. 

Hermione had never been kissed before. She let out a soft sound at the unexpected contact, then kissed him back. He felt a rush of strength and kissed her deeply, parting her lips with his tongue and exploring the warm cavern of her mouth. She didnt resist, but responded in kind, kissing him with a force she had never felt before. They parted reluctantly, letting the silence between them rest undisturbed for quite some time. 

"I'm sorry," he said at last. "I didn't mean to-" 

"Don't... don't apologize. Don't say anything. It's not your fault, it... just..." 

"I... Hermione, I don't know what to do now. My dad will be back in two hours. If you're not dead, he'll kill you himself, and maybe me, too, I don't know." 

"Where are our wands?" 

"My father." 

"Oh." 

"If... if we get out of here alive, I'll do whatever I need to do to make this up to you. I don't know how to live my life without being told what to do. You'll have to tell me what to do from now on." He looked at her with his piercing gaze. 

"No one can tell you how to live your life, Draco, it's yours-" 

"No, I want y-" 

They were interrupted by a loud cry from above. "I found them! Ginny, Harry! Come over here! Hemione, are you alright?! Draco, I swear by Godric Gryffindor, if you've hurt her-" 

"It's all right, Ron. I'm not hurt. We don't have our wands, though. We can't get up." 

A sudden swoosh, and three welcoming figures were hovering before them in the air. "S'all right, 'Mione,' Ginny said. "We have our broomsticks. Then can probably carry a double load, at least up to the top of the cliff. Then Harry can go for help." 

Ron landed his broomstick right beside Hermione. "Ride with me, Mia." Hermione climbed on, and wrapped her arms around Ron. 

"You can ride with me, Draco," Harry said quietly. He was studying Draco's face pensievely. He almost seemed to understand what had been happening. Ginny was trying very hard not to look at Draco's face. 

"What's been going on here?" Ron asked ask they took off. 

"Don't ask, Weasel," Draco said venomously. He looked over at Hermione, and nodded slightly, his silvery eyes glazed over. "You really don't want to know." 


End file.
